


Fairy Tale

by HeatherGiesbrecht



Category: Crimson Peak (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Incest, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 02:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4901425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeatherGiesbrecht/pseuds/HeatherGiesbrecht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This thinking of Edith's that life was a fairy tale was quite dangerous. Did she not remember that some tales ended in horror instead of happiness ?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fairy Tale

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what Mrs. Cushing's first name is so I'm just going to call her Ethel.

Carter Cushing was quite firmly in disbelief as he made his way to his daughter Edith's room. Surely, he had only drunk enough to imagine that Edith's fiance, Sir Thomas Sharpe's kissing of his sister, the Lady Lucille, was anything but mere philia. Was it not possible that Thomas wanted to save his first kiss until the wedding ? Of course it was, yet with Thomas's title one would think the Baronet would have more...desirable...options than his own sister. Especially, when the Sharpes were feet from Edith's room...in an open hallway. He did not think he'd been loud enough for the two to notice his accidental voyeurism or else if they had they were even better thespians than they were aristocrats. Which was to say that they were incredibly good.  
  
Light oak gleamed under his feet and he stopped before Edith's door at last. The door frame as he knocked was darkened with age; the bottom right corner was chipped from when young Alan McMichael had knocked his head on it after falling whilst trying to beat Edith inside. Oh how long ago that was, had it truly been over fifteen years since his little girl was so small ?  
  
The typewriter's clicking stopped as Edith called, "Come in."  
  
Slowly, he opened the door and found himself staring at the bed that stood across from him. That bed had once belonged to his grandmother, to himself, it had always been Edith's and now it was quite possible that in a few weeks time it would never be used again. With his heart heavy, he entered the room looking to the right at his daughter sat before the machine. Her back length blond hair shimmered in the candlelight contrasting with her robin's egg blue dress as she turned to him.   
  
How could he not remember when he and Ethel had taken Edith and Alan, both children aged about nine, out to the country for a picnic. How tiny Edith was as she'd run about the meadow in a sundress while the blonde boy struggled to catch up. The day of that picnic was the first time his daughter had seen a robin's nest up close, she had said that she wished to write a story of it. As he had thought little of it, it was simply childish fantasy after all, and indulged her. The proud light in her big grey eyes as she had presented it to him a few days later, he'd been surprised when it was actually quite good. That pride had dimmed, become more self-effacing in recent years, though she still retained her innocence for the moment. When he'd shaken himself from memory, Edith smiled fondly.

In a rather jovial tone she asked, "Did you wish something, Father ?"  
  
To distract himself he looked about the room that had once been his. The walls were still of darker oak that creaked sometimes at night. Guiltily, he wondered if he could truly ruin her happiness with a theory of incestuousness between his future in-laws. His future in-laws that would likely increase Edith's popularity with editors and publishing companies because of her becoming Lady Edith Cushing-Sharpe. If Edith were married to Thomas people would be intrigued at her name change, possibly leading into perusing then reading and thusly into a want of more ghost stories. All he wanted was her happiness and she delighted in finding out that others had read what she wrote.  
  
He cleared his throat and scratched his beard. Now, having decided that he could not tell her outright he would have to imply something was wrong without his becoming slanderous. Therefore he went for the round-about approach. "I, uh, wanted to ask how your new manuscript was progressing."  
  
It was now rather painful to hear her ejaculating praise for her fiance. "Thomas said he thinks it wonderful, Father ! Oh, you cannot imagine how lovely it is to have his help and he is so very helpful...and charming. He is like something out of the fairy tales Grandmother used to tell me."   
  
Carter grimaced as his opportunity presented itself so easily. "Life is not a fairy tale, darling, that sort of thinking is dangerous. You must remember that not every knight has a set of shining armour, some have a bit of rust and others are naught but. You think Thomas the grandmother, but what if he is in actuality the wolf ?"  
  
His daughter giggled and laid her head on his chest. "Well, he certainly has beautiful eyes. Come on now, Father, tell me what brought this suspicion on ? First Alan says that I should be wary of them and now you too say I should beware of Thomas." She reached out to take his hand, her brows furrowing. "Is it because he is English ? I thought us past such petty devices as nationality. Had the English not come here first we would not have gained independence and we, ourselves, possibly would not exist."  
  
Truthfully, he'd not considered Thomas' nationality at all just the man's status. Therefore his answer was simple. "No, Edith that was not part of it. Like myself, young Alan is simply worried of you. Edith, you have known Alan all your life and hardly noticed his attentions. I worry because in contrast you have barely met Thomas and already you are utterly infatuated with him."  
  
Edith stood up her chin held high. "I cannot deny that it is so, but, why then did you agree that I would marry him ? It makes no sense at all. Would you rather that I feel some attraction to my future husband or end up loathing both his presence and yours ? Why would you do this if you thought me not ready ?"  
  
All he could think to do was pull her into a tight hug, clutching her as if she should be ripped from him at a moment's notice. "Yes, I would prefer such, but this...this is your first romance. Not only is it your first but, y-you are also marrying Thomas and moving across the ocean. What are your mother and I to do should something happen ? W-we would not receive news of it until weeks or possibly months after the fact. During that time you could have died and we would not know for a long while, unless Thomas himself came to tell us. For the first time ever, you are leaving us quite possibly for ever."  
  
In turn, she replied with thin humour. "It is only a very large pond, we aren't truly that far away. I trust that Thomas would not let anything happen to me. Besides he would not deny you the right to see me since he loves that I have parents. He and Lucille are orphans you know, he was never able to form memories of sunlit family picnics or horseback rides. It's so very sad."  
  
Orphaned ? No, he most certainly had not known that. Had Thomas imprinted his affections onto his sister because she was his only source of love and comfort ? Despite his disgust, he could almost make sense of it if Thomas had never properly developed in his emotional responses. After all, it would've been an unfathomable amount of pressure put on a child to handle a household alone, thus forcing maturity onto a mind not yet ready for it.  
  
Still he found the news darkly amusing, "Quite convenient of his family too, to leave him his fancy title at so young an age."  
  
Edith raised her head and shook it, "Death cares not if one is rich or poor, it could easily have been you and Mother dying whilst Thomas and Lucille kept their parents. It is not as if Thomas murdered his parents, he was only five or so years old at the time, you worry too much."  
  
He let go of her reassuring, "Perhaps, but if he does turn out to be the wolf you know where your woodsman is."  
  
Candlelight flickered over Edith's face as she smiled saying, "I know. I may be getting married, but know that I am for ever your daughter. I love you, Father."  
  
Near to tears he replied, "I love you too, Edith." Finally, he remembered what he had originally come up to the attic for. "Oh yes, you should know that Alan is joining us, and the Sharpes, for dinner."  
  
A sigh left Edith's lips, "Lovely, this is just what I wished for dinner - subtle insinuations of America versus England and the prides to match. Humph, men."  
  
"That's my girl. Alan shall be arriving in a few minutes whilst dinner is in a further twenty." Absurd as the attempt was, he tried to make her laugh. "Make sure that you wash up and your mother is going to accompany you, I'll not have Thomas trying to take advantage of you."  
  
It worked as she chuckled, "Advantage ? He is a, "Proper Englishman, darling, in love with tradition, tea and family.", not an animal."  
  
Though the last of Edith's impression made him wonder just how far that love went, he still grinned. "Good or I would have to find my axe."  
  
Glad at least that she was warned of some possibilities, he left the room. Trust in Edith was the only thing he had, since he could not put trust in Thomas to stay faithful to his daughter. All throughout the meal he watched the Sharpes, but as events tended to do, he saw nothing to confirm his suspicions. Perhaps Sir Thomas Sharpe was a wolf, perhaps not. What he did know was that life was not easy whether one was civilian or aristocrat. Sometime on from this day, Edith would become hurt by something Thomas did and Thomas would not understand why Edith felt such nor how to fix it. Part of him would be happy when that day came, yet he would still mourn the first time Edith's fairy tale illusion was broken.


End file.
